Signs and symptoms of temporomandibular joint dysfunction in children with primary dentition.

The presence of signs and symptoms of TMD in 99 children with primary dentition was evaluated through clinical exam and a questionnaire. The results showed that 34.34% presented signs and/or symptoms of TMD. Among the children with symptoms, 50% presented at least one sign or more, differing significantly from the ones without symptoms, and from those 21.6% presented sign (p = 0.0185). The most prevalent symptom was frequent headache (7.07%) followed by jaw pain (4.04%), earache (3.03%) and difficulty in swallowing (3.03%). The most prevalent sign was jaw deviation (18.18%) followed by occlusal interferences (7.07%), asymmetric condylar movement (5.05%) and TMJ sounds (3.03%). We concluded that signs and symptoms of TMD are present in early ages, even though in a small number of children.